Josh Noel

ColumnistChicago Tribune

Josh Noel has written about travel, beer and spirits for the Chicago Tribune since 2008 and occasionally writes about other subjects, such as homelessness, food, crime, baseball and history. He is a Chicago native who previously covered crime for The Advocate in Baton Rouge, La. He has contributed to the public radio program “This American Life” and reported the oral history of Wrigley Field for the 2014 book "Wrigley Field: An Oral and Narrative History of the Home of the Chicago Cubs."

Recent Articles

It’s not “the hotel next to Wrigley Field.” It’s “the hotel in the Wrigleyville neighborhood.” That much is clear from the new mock room for Hotel Zachary, opening in April across from one of the nation’s most historic ballparks. Photos of the sample room, built by the Chicago office of the architecture...

Chicago’s beer shelves have become overrun in recent years, but one new addition may turn heads amid the glut: Cigar City Brewing, of Tampa, Fla., arrives during the week of Feb. 19. Founded in 2007 as craft brewing was beginning to become ascendant, Cigar City quickly forged a reputation as one...

A record 55.2 million people traveled to Chicago in 2017, according to the city’s initial estimates, which reaches a goal set by Mayor Rahm Emanuel — two years ahead of schedule. In early 2014, Emanuel said he wanted to attract 55 million annual visitors by the year 2020; the city had hosted 48.3...

Ladies and gentlemen, we have finally reached the boozy, oaky, barrel-aged conclusion. Revolution Brewing’s ongoing release of eight barrel-aged beers this winter, all in four-packs of 12-ounce cans, ends Friday with the last three entries: Straight Jacket (barleywine aged in bourbon barrels),...

As you might expect, Lyft has reams of data about its customers’ ride-sharing habits — who is calling rides, where and when. That data led to an unlikely avenue to try connecting with its audience at a deeper level: beer. Starting next week, the nation’s second-largest ride sharing company will...

The beer: Pseudo Sue Pale Ale, Toppling Goliath Brewing (Decorah, Iowa). If the T. rex on the can looks familiar, it should — that's Chicago's beloved Sue, who stands proudly at the Field Museum. What it is: A modern legend. The northeast Iowa brewery came on big after its 2009 debut, thanks mostly...

Five-dollar beers usually aren’t anything to be excited about, but they are at a wildly ambitious bar such as The Beer Temple. To celebrate its fifth anniversary, The Beer Temple is pricing all draft beers at $5 each for five hours 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. (Disclaimer: I am a frequent guest...

How about a free trip to Florida? There’s a catch. You have to drive. But you get a free car and a free tank of gas! There’s another catch. You have three days to get there. And then give up the car. And getting back home is up to you. That’s the idea behind Transfercar, which unites volunteer...